Vicki Newman

Reveller can only recall being covered in blood, being dazed and confused

His horror injuries have needed four operations, with more to follow

Police say there’s no evidence to suggest a crime

A SOUTH Tyneside man left disfigured after a night out says he cannot remember how he ended up with his horrific injuries.

Christopher Watson is warning others against getting too drunk as he lives with the consequences of what happened on a work’s night out.

Christopher Watson was the victim of an unprovoked attack during a Christmas night out in Newcastle city centre.

Christopher is awaiting more surgery to fix the damage to his nose after he says it was bitten off in an unprovoked attack.

The 32-year-old, of West Boldon, was on a night out in Newcastle when he was attacked in the early hours of December 22, 2013.

Christopher, who works at the city’s Vermont Hotel, says his memory is hazy but he can recall a man biting his nose and the excruciating pain it caused him.

He said: “The reason I’m speaking out now is to warn people about the dangers of drinking too much on a night out.

I can’t remember who attacked me or why they did it, and it could have been a lot worse.

Christopher Watson

“I regret that I can’t remember more about what happened to me, and I think if I’d been a bit more sober, it might not have happened.

“I can’t remember who attacked me or why they did it, and it could have been a lot worse, he could have stabbed me and I wouldn’t know anything about it.”

Since that night, Christopher has had four operations on his nose.

The tip of his nose, around the size of a 5p piece, was missing, and doctors have used skin from behind his ear and his forehead to repair the damage.

WARNING TO OTHERS ... Christopher Watson believes part of his nose could have been bitten off in a unprovoked attack during a work's Christmas night out in Newcastle city centre.

He’s due for a consultation with surgeons later this month, and says that doctors hope one more operation will be enough, but are unsure of how the final results will look.

Police officers originally investigated the incident, but Christopher says they dropped it after around six days, claiming there was no evidence to suggest a crime had taken place, and that he may have fallen and caused the injury himself.

Christopher, who was on a Christmas night out with friends from work, had been heading home with a friend when, for a reason he doesn’t know, he got out of his taxi at St James’s Park, along with a friend, and walked towards the city centre.

He said: “I remember seeing a flash of a blue shirt and black hair and then feeling my nose being bitten.

“Next thing I knew I was outside Waterstone’s and Fenwick and I was covered in blood.

“I was dazed and confused and made my way to the hotel and when colleagues saw how bad it was they phoned an ambulance, and the paramedics phoned the police.”

Christopher, originally from West London, was taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary to be treated and spent two nights in the hospital.

Now, Christopher says he feels anxious about going on a night out, and even going to the supermarket is tough because people stare at him.

He has also had to drop down to working two days a week, due to the risk of infection from solutions used to clean the hotel’s bar and cellar, and is having to use his annual leave to make up for the lost time.

Christopher also says he has had to give up his two biggest hobbies, fishing and home brewing, because they also pose a risk of infection.

He said: “Kids stare and you can’t blame them but it hurts when adults stare at me.

“I do feel let down by the police because they ruled out that something had happened straight away and say I must have fallen over – but I didn’t have any marks or cuts on my hands, elbows or anywhere else.

“They won’t let me see the CCTV either because they say it breaches data protection.

“I’m not sure if it would help me remember everything that happened, but it would just give me a bit of closure.

“The person who did this might see the story, but I doubt they’ll come forward.”

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: “We can confirm we received a report from the ambulance service that a man had suffered an injury.

“Extensive enquiries were carried out but no details of what happened or where could be clarified by the man or the person with him. If any further information is available we would ask people to contact the police.”